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Ruthless streak drives Australia to new heights

Australia are on the cusp of a world record, but that is not the No.1 goal driving the world's best one-day team

A seemingly endless production line of young talent is driving Australia's experienced core to new heights as they look beyond a potential world record on Wednesday and all the way to redemption in the 2022 ODI World Cup.

Forget winning streak. Think instead about ruthless streak. That has been Australia's modus operandi ever since they surrendered an Ashes win in 2017-18 for the relative disappointment of a drawn series and a trophy retained.

Of course, it has been that mentality, that focus on closing out a series, that has ultimately yielded this remarkable 20-match winning run in ODIs, which puts Meg Lanning's side within one victory of the world record sequence owned by Ricky Ponting's 2003 Australians.

Neatly enough, both the record and a series sweep are on offer tomorrow in the third ODI against New Zealand at Allan Border Field in Brisbane, and swing bowler Megan Schutt has pointed to generation next as being at least partly responsible for the team's near-unprecedented one-day success since the 2017 World Cup.

"There's been a good turnaround of new players and fresh faces that have come through (in that time)," Schutt said. "They kind of keep us old ones going, 'Crap, these girls are going to take our spots one day, so you might as well be playing your best for as long as you can'."

Second ODI: Lanning leads Aussies to 20th straight ODI win

Schutt is part of that experienced core that has enjoyed a run of 22 wins from 23 ODIs since the last 50-over showpiece event in England 2017, when the Australians were shock losers to India at the semi-final stage.

The sextet of Schutt, Lanning, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Rachael Haynes and Beth Mooney average 151 international caps per player, and with Perry (240 internationals) have formed the backbone of the side. Their reliability has allowed head coach Matthew Mott and national selector Shawn Flegler to slot in the moving pieces from the next generation that best fit the team dynamic.

On Monday in Brisbane, Nicola Carey (27), Ash Gardner (23), Sophie Molineux (22), Georgia Wareham (21) and Annabel Sutherland (18) filled those places. Only Gardner debuted prior to that 2017 World Cup. Their average age? Just 22.

A 'balance of youth and experience' is a cliché in sports but it has clearly been a successful formula for Lanning's team, and Schutt singled out teenaged allrounder Sutherland as representing a more professional development system that she expects will continue to push talent through to the national level.

"Often these kids are teaching us new things and I guess I've got to remember from my perspective, when I came into this environment when I was fresh, I wasn't really coming from a professional kind of era – the state system wasn't what it is now," she said.

"(Sutherland) comes in and epitomises everything of what that new system is, and her work ethic and all that comes with it is really refreshing for me and it shows we've got good prospects with kids like that."

Waiting in the wings in that Australia ODI squad are exciting pace bowlers Belinda Vakarewa (22) and Maitlan Brown (23), while injured 21-year-old quick Tayla Vlaeminck is the quickest of that next crop.

Should they get their opportunities in the 16 or so months leading into the next ODI World Cup, they will be joining a group vastly experienced in not only international cricket, but in winning.

"Look, 2022 (ODI World Cup) is the absolute goal," Schutt said. "We honestly haven't spoken about the streak – that's not really on our minds. First and foremost was winning the Rose Bowl and now we can move on to just playing our best cricket and finishing off the series well.

"Chasing (253 to win) yesterday, we knew that pitch was awesome and we thought they were 20 or 30 under par so we just went in and played good cricket.

"We've been in so many games where we've pulled it back from nowhere, or made something happen.

"I think that comes from the experience that's in the group. A lot of us have been around for a long time now. There's some fresh faces in there and that makes it all new and nice but I think for us, we've played enough cricket now to know it's not over 'til it's over, so I think no matter what the situation is, we've got the experience to combat that."

CommBank T20I and ODI series

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Belinda Vakarewa

New Zealand squad: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Natalie Dodd, Deanna Doughty, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Hayley Jensen, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Hannah Rowe, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu, Jess Watkin

All matches to be played at Brisbane's Allan Border Field

First T20: Australia won by 17 runs

Second T20: Australia won by eight wickets

Third T20: New Zealand won by five wickets

First ODI: Australia won by seven wickets

Second ODI: Australia won by four wickets

October 7: Third ODI, 10:10am AEST (11:10 AEDT)

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